Expert: Melanie Vonzabuesnig - 10/29/2009

Question
Hiya i was wondering if you could offer help and advice please. I have always had healthy hair, In 2003 i became anorexic and bulimic i have had professional help and have gained weight to a healthy level and had been discharged by the eating disorder department in Feb 2008, my hair thinned but not to a great extent it was nothing drastic. In July 2009 i noticed hair was falling at a drastic rate whilst washing my hair or even just having my
hair open i have lost a great deal of hair, but have no bald patches. I have taken Biotin tablets since July 2009 and always take Centrum multivitamin. My doctor sent me for blood test my thyroid, iron level is fine, hormones are fine and everything else is clear. My doctor told me that it could be a stage i am going through and that i will be fine offering no other help, i have tried seeing different doctors at my surgery and they have said nothing has come up in the blood tests and i should leave it awhile for it to settle.I now feel really depressed dont want to go out, only go to work and come back home, i wash my hair once a week hoping it would help. please help what do i do, i cant go on like this.thank you.

kind regards


Answer
Hello Miss Kaur: I'm happy to hear that you've resolved your eating disorder.  The type of hair loss you describe sounds like chronic telogen effluvium. There are many possible causes of this type of hair loss. Anytime the body feels a change, disturbance, imbalance or deficiency, the hair growth cycle can become disrupted, causing more than the usual amount of hairs to retreat to the telogen (resting) stage where they will then be shed 2-3 months later. Often the body will adjust to the change and the hair growth cycle will resolve back to normal on it's own. Other times corrections need to be made. When telogen effluvium is long-lasting or severe it can become chronic or episodic. Eating disorders are a common cause of telogen effluvium. Your hair loss may or may not be related to your previous eating disorder. Because the shedding began during this period of time, it is possible that it triggered the condition. Other common triggers include vaccination (including flu shot) medications, surgery, trauma, stress, exposure to toxins or allergens, infection, illness, etc.
Essential oil scalp massage treatments can help stimulate new hair growth and improve the condition of your hair. You can read about how I used essential oils for my own chronic telogen effluvium hair loss condition in the links provided below. Please let me know if I can help you further.
Sincerely, Melanie Vonzabuesnig
My Hair Loss Story
http://www.vzbotanicals.com/mystory.html
Understanding Female Hair Loss
http://www.vzbotanicals.com/overcomefemalehairloss.html